Page 39 of Born in Sin

Her heart’s scream died in the abyss it was cloaked in.

“Yes,” she called out, her voice calm and level, her blazing eyes holding Virat’s tormented ones. “I’ll be with you in a minute.”

She took another moment to compose herself and then she said, “They used what we shared to destroy us that night. And now, I’ll use it to do the same to them.”

Virat didn’t respond, one hand going to his chest, above his pounding heart, pressing hard against it in a gesture she knew well.

My heart is yours.

He’d whispered those words to her, every time he’d placed his hand on his chest and pressed. He didn’t need to say them now. They were a silent scream that echoed through the room.

Cara took a shaky step away from him.

“For the record,” she said, her voice a bare thread of sound. “I never stopped seeing value in you Virat Jha. Not for one second of any of these miserable years. I just wish you could see it in yourself.”

Virat closed his eyes, an unbearable agony framing his features.

“I have to go,” she whispered. “Goodnight, Virat.”

She opened the door and walked out, not waiting for his response, not looking back. She couldn’t. If she looked back, she’d never move forward.

She smiled at Kabir who stepped towards her the minute she entered the other room.

“Ready my love?” he asked, taking her cold, clammy hand in his warm one.

Cara nodded. “I’m ready.”

And then she walked out the front door, the door to her past clanging shut behind her.

Crestwood

Virat lay on his back, an arm folded beneath his head as a headrest. Celina lay perpendicular to him, her head resting on his chest. Virat’s free hand stroked the glorious waterfall of her hair as it spilled over his body in tangled skeins. Celina hummed softly under her breath, her eyes closed even as she turned into his caress.

“I love you,” he murmured.

Her eyes snapped open.

“What?”

Virat smiled, his fingers threading through her hair. Celina sat up abruptly. His fingers caught in a tangle in her hair, and she winced as it tugged against her scalp.

“Sorry,” he said, trying to get his fingers out of her hair.

Celina ripped it out of his hand, wincing as some strands of hair came loose with the violent motion.

“Forget the hair,” she said, flipping it over her shoulder. “Say that again.”

Virat flushed, his cheeks turning a rosy red. But he didn’t hesitate. “I love you, Celi.”

She threw her arms around him, a hushed squeal escaping her. “I love you too,” she whispered into his ear.

Virat wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.

“You’re the first boy to say those words to me,” she said, snuggling closer.

“You’re the first human being to say those words to me,” he replied, unthinkingly.

Celina froze. “What?”